This is one of those stories you wonder whether it's good for being ambiguous and forcing you to carefully evaluate the text to decipher the meaning or it's annoying for leaving you utterly unsure of what nonsense happened.

We have an old man in the woods. Supposedly his wife died. Supposedly he witnessed some unusual things that could be supernatural, bizarrely real, or completely made up We're hearing this story third-hand or more: the narrator heard from his grandfather and others, and we don't know if they heard it from others or witnessed the events themselves. The narrator uses vague language that displaces authority like "supposedly," "apparently," and such. There's no grounds to figure out who has made up what.

Was the wife alive? Was there ever a beast? Which, if any, did he shoot? Was it all a dream? Even from the main character's, Murloc's, perspective nothing is for sure. Maybe both he and the narrator are delusional. Why is it even called The Boarded Window? It's barely mentioned. The table had a larger and more apparent role in the plot.

I had to read other reviews and search other websites for enough information just to put together this review. Otherwise I may have written, "Huh?" "Bleh." "*shrug*." Or something else just as vague as the story.

Overall, I have mixed feelings. I would appreciate more clues as to what actually happened and which story--Murloc's or the narrator's--was the real story. On the other hand, it's fun to ponder and discuss such a mysterious work. ( )

Is this tale supposed to be a tie-in to Bierce's other story, 'Eyes of the Panther,' or is it just similar in theme? I'm not sure. I felt that it was a less-successful variation of the story, as there's no explanation or seeming meaning behind why the 'creepy' events occur.

An old hunter-trapper, out on the frontier, has lived alone in his modest cabin for years. His one window has remained boarded shut for as long as anyone can remember. This is the story of why he boarded that window for good. ( )